This invention is generally directed to a template which allows an installer to easily and quickly create markings on concrete paving bricks so that each concrete brick can be cut in a precise manner. In particular, the present invention provides a template which allows an installer to easily and quickly create markings on concrete paving bricks so that each concrete brick can be cut in a precise manner for use in the edge of a pattern of a driveway, walkway or the like. When the concrete paving bricks are cut in a precise manner such that the same shape results after cutting, the installer can create a much straighter border when these cut bricks are used consecutively in the border.
As a result of advances in the last twenty-five years in paving brick production, the size of bricks has become standardized with the advent of the use of concrete to form the bricks. Concrete paving bricks were introduced in the 1960s. The most common size and shape brick produced today is a rectangle twice as long as it is wide. The concrete bricks are molded or formed which allows for a consistently sized brick to be repeatedly made. This size of concrete brick can be produced with a consistency that was generally not possible with the manufacture of clay bricks.
Until approximately twenty-five years ago, clay paving bricks were the industry standard. The clay bricks tended to be irregular in size when formed as a result of the inconsistency of the clay material. The clay bricks were installed with an installation gap between the bricks that could open and close with the inconsistencies of the clay bricks. The required installation gap prevented the clay bricks from being abutted against each other to form a tight assembly. In addition, the larger installation gaps required maintenance because weeds grew between the bricks, and because a snow shovel could catch the edges of the clay paving bricks, causing damage to the clay brick or causing the clay brick to become dislodged.
The use of consistently formed concrete paving bricks has created a more exact fit in the installation thereof. The concrete bricks can be installed such that they abut against each other, thereby providing a tighter fit between the bricks, resulting in a much smaller gap between adjacent bricks than between clay bricks. As a result, concrete bricks require less maintenance than clay bricks. In addition, the consistently formed concrete bricks provide for a cleaner and more uniform look than the clay bricks.
To install a paving brick driveway, walkway or the like, installers must lay the bricks in the desired pattern; then, at the edge or border of the pattern, the installer must cut the concrete bricks into exact shapes along a drawn line, which represents he designated ending point and/or "border line" of the paved area. When the border line or cutting line is straight and drawn out (or layed out) along a point in the designed pattern that ends consistently at the ends or halfway points of the bricks, a consistent geometric shape or opening is created. The two most popular ways or designs to lay paving bricks are the "Herringbone" and "Running Bond" pattern. When the paving bricks are layed in the Herringbone pattern at this border line point, a consistent geometric triangle shape or opening is created. When the paving bricks are layed in a Running Bond pattern, where the bricks are layed at a stagger next to each other exactly half of their length, a consistent geometric half brick shaped opening is created at this border line. The installer must then cut other unlayed bricks to fill the geometric openings. The bricks are measured, marked, then cut and placed into the openings thus filling the openings and creating a straight line or border of bricks. When there is a consistent shape or opening, created by the straight line along the point in the designed pattern that ends consistently at the ends or halfway points of the bricks, the bricks, when the border is layed out in this manner, are not cut randomly, but are cut exactly and precisely to create the same shape. The more preceise the brick is cut; the straighter the border line will be. To make this precise cut, an installer must measure the brick precisely. Then, the installer must mark the brick in a way that the varying width of the marking tool's line (i.e., the thickness of the line created from a marking pencil varies from that of a "soap stone") is drawn on the brick's measurements so that a tool's line is not drawn unequally on either side of the measurement, but down the middle. After the brick is measured and marked in a precise manner, then the installer must cut the brick in a precise manner. There is a need to make the process simpler and faster.
The most common method for marking the concrete brick for cutting is for an installer to measure each brick with a tape measure or a ruler, then mark the brick and then cut the brick to the desired shape. This method can result in inaccurate cuts, and can take considerable amounts of time. When an inaccurate cut is made, the inaccurately cut brick is either thrown away or used with its imperfection, creating a less than straight edge along the border.
The present invention provides a template which allows an installer to properly mark the concrete brick--in an easy and quick manner--so that the concrete brick can then be consistently cut in a precise manner, but with a greatly reduced amount of time and a reduced amount of effort versus the prior art method. The template of the present invention can be quickly and easily positioned on the concrete brick so that the installer can mark the concrete brick. Other features and advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the attached specification in combination with a study of the drawings.